With summer finally making a reappearance here in YYC and the sun shining bright, we have some advice for you … HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE! We're talking all things water and the effects it has on both your everyday life and barre practice. Water = good, common knowledge right? Right … but exactly how much water should you be drinking? When should I be drinking water? How does water affect my workout? These are the type of questions that we will be tackling on the blog today.

So first off, we think that it's safe to say that water is really really really important. It is sort of the Jack-of-all-Trades when it comes to your health and well-being. Drinking plenty of fluids will help fuel your body, circulate nutrients, flush out toxins, make your skin glow, prevent headaches, affect your mood, aid weight loss and keep everything functioning the way that it is supposed to.

A general rule of thumb regarding just how much water you should drink typically goes as follows: you should be drinking your body weight (in lbs), divided by two (in oz). SO… if you weigh 140lbs you should be drinking 70oz of water daily. This can also vary, depending on your age, gender, height, activity levels, etc. However, it is not entirely clear-cut for our barre stars and exercise fiends, because the more active you are, the more water you require to stay hydrated. If you are wondering just how much water your body will require during its workout it's important to consider intensity levels of the activity and your sweat output. Camelbak has created a fantastic calculator to recommend how much water you should be taking in to maximize performance in your workout. Check it out here!

Next, we're going to talk about what is the best time to drink water to maximize its effectiveness. Studies often promote the benefits of drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake up – this is said to help activate your internal organs and flush out toxins before your first meal of the day. It is also important to drink water before and after meals to help with digestion and proper nutrient absorption. It's beneficial to have a glass of water before bed, this will help replenish any of the water that you lose during your slumber. And of course, don’t forget to stay hydrated during your daily workout! Remember that there is no right or wrong way to drink water … as long as you are getting enough of it!

We know that reaching your daily hydration requirements is much easier said than done, you are certainly not alone. So to help you out, we have compiled a few tips and tricks to help sneak a bit more water into your daily consumption. Here they are:

Fruits and veggies are water-rich foods – increase your intake of these bad boys and you are well on your way to optimal hydration!

Big vacations in the summer are always great, however, we also enjoy the simple things in life. Plus, we think that summertime is always well spent in and around our city - the warm weather and pretty YYC days offer up the perfect opportunity to share some laughs and make some memories with family and friends. With that in mind, we have asked a few of your barre tenders what you might find them getting up to during the summer (when they aren’t kicking butt at the barre, of course). With their wisdom, we have made up a list of our absolute favourite activities to do during the summer months! Some things on our list involve venturing out a little bit, while others can literally be done in your own backyard. Here are our BBS favs: summer activities edition!

1. Swimming in the outdoor pools2. Getting out to Vancouver Island and being by the ocean3. Gardening!4. Waterfall hunting5. Canoeing, kayaking or paddle boarding on Glenmore reservoir6. Boating & wake surfing7. Camping (or Glamping) in the mountains8. Floating down the Bow or Elbow River9. Patios, patios....did we say patios?10. Hitting the links - we mean golfing ;)

If you think there's something missing on our list, let us know because we have got to try it! Share your favourite summer activities with us on social. And in the meantime, we'll catch ya at the barre!

We're here with a fun new series on the Blog: Technique Tips. To start off this helpful series and get our barre babes in perfect form, barre tender Hillary will run us through the proper technique for a mountain climber, side plank combo.

A challenging full body exercise that targets the core specifically, you may find this combo incorporated into a BBS class' cardio series or even during the warm-up.

Want to see a certain Technique Tip? Let us know what you'd like to see on social media - Insta, Twitter or Facebook.